Review Summary: Second Round presents a far more consistent take on synthwave than the Prologue soundtrack, with a generally very strong sense of composition, melody and dynamics...that outstays its welcome at one hour and fourty eight minutes.
So as VA-11 HALL-A started life as a short proof-of-concept demo later bundled as an extra chapter within the full game, so too did its soundtrack start out with a sampler entitled as a Prologue disc before evolving into a broader showcase of its soundtrack. Given the subtitle of Second Round, it would be expected that this compilation is a marked improvement on the original outing, learning from the growing pains of the Prologue's loose, almost demo-like collection of tracks. In some ways, this does pan out, but in other ways, the first soundtrack is the more pleasing one simply because it is far leaner.
Just off the bat, I want to warn potential listeners about quite what you're getting into in terms of duration. Second Round clocks in at an hour and fourty eight minutes with fourty four tracks, with only around six being “filler” tracks, just used at general gameplay moments like the smoke break prompts. Sitting down and simply listening to the soundtrack is a bit of an endeavour, so right away I'd simply recommend cribbing the tracks you like and making your own playlist, much as you have to do within the game itself.
But I'm also just not sure how much leeway I should grant the album in this respect even as a video game soundtrack, which naturally have looping tracks with fade-outs, overlong track lists to be as comprehensive as possible and a rough order according to the pacing of the game itself. But what ought to have set VA-11 HALL-A apart in this regard is the soundtrack's diegetic nature. Again, aside from a few stingers used as general motifs for gameplay, these songs are meant to be played on the bar's jukebox; the game makes a point of forcing you to make a twelve song setlist for each working day. So imagining so many of these songs actually blasting out in a neon-tinged bar, I can't see it taking off in a real world setting. It might just be a matter of expectation, but the game does such a good job of highlighting the mundane and making relatable situations out of Jill's journey that it's a shame the soundtrack can't quite keep up. If I were Jill, I'd probably get sick of hearing these songs no matter the rotation.
That said, Second Round does immediately solve one of my big issues with the Prologue disc, with a far greater sense of continuity and identity, even linking some songs together with motifs or, surprisingly, smooth transitions. The transition from the bouncy Every Day Is Night to the chilled out Commencing Simulation presents a dynamic that is just fulfilling to listen to, as does the frantic March of the White Knights into the slow build of the explosive A. Rene. Even when the mood winds from chilled out to spicy and fast, the tone of the soundtrack remains consistent throughout, and while the same synth tones can get grating throughout the length of your average action movie, there's always something around the corner to spice things up.
With that said, the album, and really the entire soundtrack, never quite reaches the heights of the first two real tracks of the album. Welcome To VA-11 HALL-A makes for an excellent thesis statement, with humming synth sitting atop a bouncing electric bassline as glossy piano drives a spacey melody up until the halfway mark, where the title theme kicks in with an awesome guitar line. Following this is the instant classic Every Day Is Night. Fake saxophone aside, the song's sense of funk and danciness even within a glossy futuristic aesthetic gives the mood a whole lot of edge for what is ostensibly another synthwave throwback, but what really pushes the song over the top is the push and pull of the composition. The transitions into the solos and riffs of the song are tight as hell, and when the song drops out, you really feel the bite of the sound. Garoad's sense of dynamics per composition is one of his biggest assets.
Other highlights in this regard include Umemoto, which starts out as a soothing but stabbing synthwave piece before breaking out into an almost breakbeat-like rhythm and fast arpeggiated chiptune sounds atop. The aforementioned A. Rene also demonstrates a similar sense of tonal evolution, with its judicious electric guitar eventually evolving into a frantic display of flying bass lines and triplet drums, and similar energy manifests on All Systems, Go! Really, the guitar work is just solid across the board. Never overused but always a welcome addition, often brought along to aid in the accenting of the melodies.
This is true even when the album is slowing down, which happens throughout many tracks from just before the halfway mark onwards, with varying levels of success. Tracks like Where Do I Go From Here simply rely on verb to carry these short vignettes of contemplation, but Everything Will Be Okay and A Star Pierces The Darkness are much more effective at portraying a relaxing vibe without skimping on the actual songwriting. In-between tracks like Snowfall and Dawn Approaches are especially effective, the latter dipping more into general throwback techno but still coming out strong with a swinging rhythm and twinkling synth track that remains to give the track a strong sense of identity.
Really, discussing individual tracks, there is a lot to love on here. While I did not care for the Prologue's most Hotline Miami-esque track, Those Who Dwell In Shadows is far better at melding that kind of sound with VA-11 HALL-A's own brand of futurist instrumental pop, and there's actually a very solid Prodigy-esque track in Synthestitch. The analog whammy of the bass synth evokes the same punk-techno vibe of the UK dance icons, and gives the track a real sense of dimension without simply being a motif thrown at the song to see if it sticks. The sense of space that tracks like You've Got Me provide also simply give VA-11 HALL-A an atmosphere of its own that no other soundtrack out there really touches.
The problem is simply that this soundtrack rides that vibe for all its worth. While the strength of the compositions keeps it afloat, the album becomes a bit of a drag when so many songs feature the same canned drum sound and glittery piano/synth tones. Garoad's rather restrained use of the electric guitar means that the instrument maintains its flavour throughout, even though it appears on a good quarter of the track listing, but by the end, the general sonic palette of synthwave loses its novelty, an issue only hampered by more thematic and slow tracks rounding out the setlist. At least it gives the album a greater sense of continuity, including tracks only heard during the final scenes and the end credits.
Depending on how nitpicky you are, you may also be disappointed with some of the more “realistic” cuts on the album. Your Love Is A Drug is made to be a truly diegetic track, a pop song hit by a character you can serve in the bar, but the version on the soundtrack features no vocals but instead a banging guitar line and a throbbing bass line that carries the song. It's hard to see how it would have become a hit in 20XX. But who cares? The song bangs! Nighttime Maneuvers includes a leitmotif from the last album's Karmotrine Dream, but it's hard to tell which song is the more feasible inclusion in the jukebox of a dingy cornerside bar. The FFX Macalania-like nature of A Star Pierces The Darkness almost doesn't fit in with the aesthetics of the game's setting at all, but it's not so far removed from Garoad's general style that it can't slot in with some work.
Really, the soundtrack kind of sells itself, which is a mild double-edged sword. Whether you like giant techno bangers like Through The Storm, We Will Find A Way or March of the White Knights, or chilled out synth-pop like Snowfall and A Gaze That Invited Disaster, you will find plenty of tracks to catch your ear. But this also means the soundtrack's a bit low on surprises until the final leg, at which point you might be too exhausted to truly appreciate what it has to offer. The greater sense of consistency is a worthy price to pay for such a thing, but again, I just don't recommend sitting down and listening to all 100 some minutes unless you're using it as background noise. So too does this mean I don't think the soundtrack quite sits with the greats of video game music but for a few of its absolute bangers.
But there's some stiff competition at the top; there's no shame in still holding a great soundtrack, especially one with such an untapped sense of style and aesthetics as this. The pop-leaning sensations of Garoad's compositions makes his work stand out even at the soundtrack's most ambient moments, which means you won't find another soundtrack quite like this in all of gaming. It's a bit too repetitive to stand up to total scrutiny outside the game, but I'll be damned if I still wasn't along the ride even in its bumpy patches, so good are the songs simply. If you want a glossier but no less futuristic take on synthwave, pick up the VA-11 HALL-A Second Round soundtrack, fire up the game and get ready to mix drinks and change lives...again.
